Julien is an electronics professional who is down on his luck when he decides to enter an international sailboat race. He is led astray from his original good intentions by a low-life press agent who convinces him it would be well worth his while to win the race by illegal maneuvering. As he sets off, flashbacks tell how he came to be on the sailboat; later he has long monologues -- several of them, and in-between he occasionally battles to stay afloat on an uncooperative sea.

Julien Dantec, ingénieur en électronique spécialisé dans l'équipement des bateaux, se lance dans une course autour du monde en solitaire et sans escale. La campagne médiatique assurée par Barral, un journaliste à la morale douteuse, ne fait qu'accentuer l'inquiétude de sa femme, persuadée que son mari risque sa vie dans l'aventure.

Un meccanico decide di partecipare al giro del mondo in barca a vela senza scalo. La gara è molto difficile, ma la determinazione dell'uomo è più forte.